Love Ascends

Love lifts.

Love is willing.

Love is sacrificial.

Love celebrates, gives, and graciously receives.

Divine Love shows us how to willingly follow God's plan, how to sacrifice self for the good of others, how to celebrate the good in all things, how to forgive mercifully, and give generously. After Jesus resurrected, He spent 40 days inspiring, teaching, and conveying Love. He took the time to instill confidence and assurance in His followers that there is great Hope and Joy awaiting all who seek Him with a sincere heart.

Then, after those 40 days, Love ascended into Heaven with the promise that the Holy Spirit would be with us always.

Happy Ascension Thursday!

We have been wading through deep waters with the many expressions of Love in Scripture. As we make our way through the completion of our Easter journey with the exhilarating celebration of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in 10 days, we need to remain on our 'Ascension High' to navigate these waters.

Are you still walking with the lightness of the Glory of the Easter Season, or have you packed away your Easter joy with the Easter decor?

We can regain and remain in great joy when we focus on Jesus' promises. He expressed His love through kindness, mercy, compassion, healing, seeing, feeding, taking on suffering, and accepting death. But He also spoke Love very clearly.

As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in His love. I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. John 15:9-11

He loves every one of us, and there is nothing we can do to make Him love us any more or any less. It's pure gift! Hold onto His love and receive ultimate joy and true peace.

Why is it so difficult for us to simply love as the Lord does? without tally marks and keeping score... without demanding more and giving less... without comparisons and a desire to control...

It seems like it should be so easy to love, but it's a difficult path to navigate.

Worldly love is often portrayed as roses, laughter, and happy feelings. Perfect love that comes only through God is so much more. Learning to love and living in Love is not an easy journey. There are ongoing revelations of love. I've learned to love again and again. I've caused pain, and I've been hurt. I've known mutual love and unrequited love, deep love and superficial love, true love and false love, fulfilling love and hurtful love. By the grace of God, I continue to learn new and better ways to love and be loved.

The truth is, love comes with some heavy heart baggage. We have to carry the good and the bad that comes with Love. Even the good that accompanies love weighs heavily on our hearts and comes with baggage. Reflecting on this led me to once again look at the ways I carry love. What baggage am I lugging around and spreading? Does it look different depending on my mood, or am I consistent in loving faithfully?

Take some time and consider your relationships.

What kind of love do you carry in your heart baggage?

• ascending or condescending

• humble or prideful

• honoring or oppressive

• caring or manipulative

• respect or humiliation

• listening or overbearing

• patient or demanding

• open or controlling

Our goal is to unite our love of God with our love for others.

God's love is the foundation to build human love.

Healthy love shines light on the goodness that exists in the other.

Saint Paul is a great example of this, as we heard in Wednesday's Gospel Reading. Paul had been traveling around proclaiming the Love, Peace, and Joy that Faith in Jesus brings. When he visited Athens and saw their beautifully adorned religious shrines, he recognized that worship was important to the Athenians. Paul pointed to the shrine labeled as the unknown god and explained it represented their hearts seeking the One True God. He encouraged them to accept Jesus' invitation to receive and share God's Perfect Love.

God's Love is not an honor we can earn. It's a gift we have already been given. Remain in His love and love like Him.

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We have the opportunity to encounter people every day, in our close relationships, casual acquaintances, business dealings, community helpers, and strangers. Some we meet with stale familiarity, others easily fade in and out of our presence and our thoughts. Each one has a heart made by God for God, but many do not recognize or accept the Love, Joy, and Peace that Jesus promised.

Think of ways to shine light on the goodness in the hearts you encounter.

Post these eight words on your wall, mirror, phone, dashboard, computer, so they will stay on your heart.

Remain in God's love and love like Him.